“A History, of the Persecution, of the
Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” December
1839–October 1840

what
to do for their safety, they knew not. To resist large bodies of the
mob, in their scattered situation, appeared useless; and to gather
together into one body, immediately, was impracticable, for they had
not in any one place, houses to dwell in, or food for themselves and
stock. A consultation was held, near
Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

,
by some of the principal men of the church, to see what was best to
be done; it was concluded to obtain peace warrants, if possible,
against some of the principal leaders, of the mob;27

Missouri law
empowered a justice of the peace “to cause to be kept all laws made for the
preservation and good of the peace” and to use “peace warrants” to arrest “all
persons who shall break the peace, and commit them to gaol [jail] or bail them
as the case may require; and also, to cause to come before them all persons who
shall threaten to break the peace.” If the accused failed to provide
“sufficient security for the peace or for their good behaviour,” they were
committed to prison until it was determined that they would thereafter keep the
peace. (An Act Prescribing
the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace and the Manner of Their
Appointment [4 Jan. 1825], Laws of the State of Missouri [1825],
vol. 1, p. 469, sec. 1.)

Laws of the State
of Missouri, Passed at the First Session of the Tenth General Assembly, Begun
and Held at the City of Jefferson, on
Monday, the Nineteenth Day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand
Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight. Jefferson,
MO: Calvin Gunn, 1838.

and also to advise their brethren to
gather together, into four or five bodies, in their different
neighborhoods, and defend themselves, as well as they could, whenever
the mob should come upon them. They then went to a magistrate, and
applied for a warrant, but he refused to grant one. The
Governor

14 Jan. 1790–25 July 1844. Farmer, tavern owner, businessman, investor, lawyer, politician. Born near Greenville, Greenville District, South Carolina. Son of Joseph Dunklin Jr. and Sarah Margaret Sullivan. Moved to what became Caldwell Co., Kentucky, 1806...

upon which he replied that
he cared nothing about it. At that very time the streets were filled
with mobbers, passing and repassing, threatening the saints, in
different directions, with destruction. And to be deprived of the
benefit of law, at such a critical time, was well calculated to make
the saints feel solemn, and mourn over the depravity of man. But they
had not much time for reflection; for they had many things to do to
prepare for the night, which was just at hand, in the which they
expected the mob would be upon them. Up to this time, the persons of
women and children were considered safe, they seldom being abused;
therefore the men run together for the night, leaving their families
at home.

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Independence became county seat for Jackson Co., 29 Mar. 1827. First courthouse, single-story log structure located on lot 59 at intersection of Lynn and Lexington Streets, completed, Aug. 1828. Second courthouse, two-story brick structure located at center...

.— Night came on and a party of the mob, who had staid in
the village, were heard brick-batting the houses; spies were sent to
discover their movements, who returned with information that they
were tearing down a brick-house, belonging to
Gilbert

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co...

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co...

24 Oct. 1783–14 Dec. 1846. Blacksmith, joiner, carpenter. Born in Belfast, Ireland. Moved to Ulverston, Lancashire, England, by 1812. Married Margaret Cleminson Gibson, 28 June 1812, in Ulverston. Joined British navy, 1812; captured by Americans and defected...

was liberated. Next morning it was
ascertained that the windows were broken in, where there were none
but women and children; one house in particular, which had window
shutters, and they were shut, had a rail thrust through into the room
where women and children were alone. Seeing that neither sex nor age
were safe, the families were all moved out of the village that day.
The same night another party of the mob collected about ten or twelve
miles from
Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Pratt, Parley P. The
Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels,
with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings.
Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

two of their company
went to discover the situation of the brethren; they came near the
guard, when
Parley P.
Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

discovering them, advanced and went up to them: when one
of them struck him over the head with a rifle, which cut a large gash
in his head, and nearly knocked him down; but he recovered himself,
called to his men who were near, they took the spies and disarmed
them of two rifles and three pistols, kept them in custody until
morning, then gave them their arms and let them go without injuring
them. The rest of their company were heard at a distance, but they
dispersed without doing any harm.

to be continued.
[p. 20]

what
to do for their safety, they knew not. To resist large bodies of the
mob, in their scattered situation, appeared useless; and to gather
together into one body, immediately, was impracticable, for they had
not in any one place, houses to dwell in, or food for themselves and
stock. A consultation was held, near
Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

,
by some of the principal men of the church, to see what was best to
be done; it was concluded to obtain peace warrants, if possible,
against some of the principal leaders, of the mob;27

Missouri law
empowered a justice of the peace “to cause to be kept all laws made for the
preservation and good of the peace” and to use “peace warrants” to arrest “all
persons who shall break the peace, and commit them to gaol [jail] or bail them
as the case may require; and also, to cause to come before them all persons who
shall threaten to break the peace.” If the accused failed to provide
“sufficient security for the peace or for their good behaviour,” they were
committed to prison until it was determined that they would thereafter keep the
peace. (An Act Prescribing
the Powers and Duties of Justices of the Peace and the Manner of Their
Appointment [4 Jan. 1825], Laws of the State of Missouri [1825],
vol. 1, p. 469, sec. 1.)

Laws of the State
of Missouri, Passed at the First Session of the Tenth General Assembly, Begun
and Held at the City of Jefferson, on
Monday, the Nineteenth Day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand
Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight. Jefferson,
MO: Calvin Gunn, 1838.

and also to advise their brethren to
gather together, into four or five bodies, in their different
neighborhoods, and defend themselves, as well as they could, whenever
the mob should come upon them. They then went to a magistrate, and
applied for a warrant, but he refused to grant one. The
Governor

14 Jan. 1790–25 July 1844. Farmer, tavern owner, businessman, investor, lawyer, politician. Born near Greenville, Greenville District, South Carolina. Son of Joseph Dunklin Jr. and Sarah Margaret Sullivan. Moved to what became Caldwell Co., Kentucky, 1806...

upon which he replied that
he cared nothing about it. At that very time the streets were filled
with mobbers, passing and repassing, threatening the saints, in
different directions, with destruction. And to be deprived of the
benefit of law, at such a critical time, was well calculated to make
the saints feel solemn, and mourn over the depravity of man. But they
had not much time for reflection; for they had many things to do to
prepare for the night, which was just at hand, in the which they
expected the mob would be upon them. Up to this time, the persons of
women and children were considered safe, they seldom being abused;
therefore the men run together for the night, leaving their families
at home.

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Independence became county seat for Jackson Co., 29 Mar. 1827. First courthouse, single-story log structure located on lot 59 at intersection of Lynn and Lexington Streets, completed, Aug. 1828. Second courthouse, two-story brick structure located at center...

.— Night came on and a party of the mob, who had staid in
the village, were heard brick-batting the houses; spies were sent to
discover their movements, who returned with information that they
were tearing down a brick-house, belonging to
Gilbert

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co...

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co...

24 Oct. 1783–14 Dec. 1846. Blacksmith, joiner, carpenter. Born in Belfast, Ireland. Moved to Ulverston, Lancashire, England, by 1812. Married Margaret Cleminson Gibson, 28 June 1812, in Ulverston. Joined British navy, 1812; captured by Americans and defected...

was liberated. Next morning it was
ascertained that the windows were broken in, where there were none
but women and children; one house in particular, which had window
shutters, and they were shut, had a rail thrust through into the room
where women and children were alone. Seeing that neither sex nor age
were safe, the families were all moved out of the village that day.
The same night another party of the mob collected about ten or twelve
miles from
Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Pratt, Parley P. The
Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels,
with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings.
Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

two of their company
went to discover the situation of the brethren; they came near the
guard, when
P[arley] P.
Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

discovering them, advanced and went up to them: when one
of them struck him over the head with a rifle, which cut a large gash
in his head, and nearly knocked him down; but he recovered himself,
called to his men who were near, they took the spies and disarmed
them of two rifles and three pistols, kept them in custody until
morning, then gave them their arms and let them go without injuring
them. The rest of their company were heard at a distance, but they
dispersed without doing any harm.

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

in particular,” in which
he called for the Saints to gather up “a knoledge of all the facts and
sufferings and abuses put upon them” in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

that they might publish the records “to all the world” and “present them to the
heads of the government.”1

JS et al., Liberty, MO, to
the church members and Edward Partridge, Quincy, IL, 20 Mar. 1839, in
Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 123:1, 6]. An edited and slightly
shortened version of the letter was published in two parts in the Times
and Seasons, May and
July 1840. The instruction to record the
Saints’ Missouri history was part of the July installment. (“Copy of a Letter, Written by J.
Smith Jr. and Others, While in Prison,” Times and Seasons, May
1840, 1:99–104; “An
Extract of a Letter Written to Bishop Partridge, and the Saints in General,”
Times and Seasons, July 1840, 1:131–134.)

Apparently in response to this assignment, Edward Partridge wrote a history
that became the first three installments of “A History, of the Persecution, of
the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” an eleven-part
series published in the church’s
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

newspaper, Times and Seasons, between
December 1839 and October
1840. This series gave the first extended account of the Missouri period
to be printed in the Latter-day Saint press. The editors of the Times
and Seasons,Ebenezer Robinson

25 May 1816–11 Mar. 1891. Printer, editor, publisher. Born at Floyd (near Rome), Oneida Co., New York. Son of Nathan Robinson and Mary Brown. Moved to Utica, Oneida Co., ca. 1831, and learned printing trade at Utica Observer. Moved to Ravenna, Portage Co....

, announced in its first issue that the newspaper would
“commence publishing the history of the disturbances in Missouri, in regular
series,”2

“A Word to the Saints,” Times and
Seasons, July 1839, 1:12. After the first copies of the first
number were printed in July, publication of the
Times and Seasons halted for several months because both editors
fell ill amidst a malaria outbreak in the
Commerce, Illinois,
area. The first number was reissued under the date November 1839.

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

conflicts in the early 1830s.
Partridge was a bishop of the church in Missouri, first in
Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

following the Latter-day Saints’ expulsion from Jackson, and
finally in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

after the Saints relocated
from Clay. By the time he wrote this account of the Mormons’ experiences in
Missouri, the Saints had been exiled from the state and had relocated to
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

Partridge’s narrative is based on
firsthand observations and may also have relied on other records he kept. The
manuscript
version of the history begins, “In presenting to our readers a history of
the persecutions,” indicating that Partridge wrote it for publication
purposes.4

Partridge, History, manuscript, Edward Partridge,
Miscellaneous Papers, CHL. Significant differences between the first
three installments of “History, of the Persecution” and the
Partridge manuscript are described in footnotes
herein.

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

’s account, which ends in
1836 as the Saints were settling in what became
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

. Perhaps prompted by Partridge’s illness, the editors sought
elsewhere for source materials to continue the series. In
April 1840, the
fifth installment
reprinted passages from
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

No manuscript is known to exist for
Pratt’s published pamphlet.
Rigdon is not named as the author on the title page of
Appeal to the American People, but he is credited as such in the
“History, of the Persecution” series and in advertisements for the pamphlet in
the Times and Seasons. A manuscript version of Rigdon’s
Appeal to the American People, titled “To the Publick” and inscribed by
George W. Robinson, is found in the JS Collection
at the Church History Library. Many textual differences exist between the
manuscript and Appeal to the American People, and the editors of
the Times and Seasons clearly used the published pamphlet, not
the manuscript, as their source. (“History,
of the Persecution,”
May 1840, 1:99;
Advertisement, Times
and Seasons, 1 Jan. 1841, 2:272.)

In
June the editors again excerpted Pratt’s
History of the Late Persecution, and in the three articles
published from July to September
they reprinted more of Rigdon’s work. The series
concluded in the
October 1840 issue with a reprint of the speech
that
John B. Clark

, a major general of the Missouri
state militia, made to the Latter-day Saints at
Far
West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

The “History, of the Persecution” is
representative of the many histories and individual petitions written at the
time to document the Saints’ experiences in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

’s Appeal to the American
People provide a useful sampling of two published histories of
the period and demonstrate that documenting these events was a widespread
effort.6

Earlier published accounts of
the
Jackson County conflicts from Latter-day
Saints include the broadside “The Mormons,” So Called, dated
12 December 1833, and its reprint in
The Evening and the
Morning Star, Extra, Feb. 1834, [1]–[2]; a series titled “The
Outrage in Jackson County, Missouri,” published in
The Evening and the
Morning Star, Dec. 1833–Mar. 1834 and May–June 1834;
John P. Greene’s pamphlet
Facts Relative to the
Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter Day Saints, from the State of Missouri,
under the “Exterminating Order” (Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839);
and John
Taylor’s eight-page work,
A Short Account of the
Murders, Roberies, Burnings, Thefts, and Other Outrages Committed by the Mob
and Militia of the State of Missouri, Upon the Latter Day Saints
(Springfield, IL: By the author, 1839).

Publication in the church’s
periodical lent credibility to the series and ensured that it was the source
from which many new Mormon converts learned the details of the church’s history
in Missouri. What they read was not the work of neutral historians detached
from the events described. When
Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

, Pratt, and Rigdon wrote their histories,
the persecutions and injustices against them were still fresh in their
memories. All three authors suffered personally during the Missouri hardships,
and as they and other Saints undertook to write about their experiences, their
primary focus was to fulfill
JS’s directive—to obtain redress by making known
the “nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this
people.”7

“A History, of the
Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

. The copy used for transcription is currently part of a
bound volume held at CHL; includes light marginalia and archival marking.

Each segment in the
eleven-part series begins on the first page of its respective number of the
Times and Seasons. Each issue comprises eight leaves (sixteen
pages) that measure 8⅝ x 5¼ inches (22 x 13 cm). The text on each page is set
in two columns. At some point, the editors of the Times and
Seasons reset and reprinted the December
1839 and January 1840 issues of the
Times and Seasons; based on textual analysis, the version used
for transcription appears to be the earlier typesetting of both.1